Distance
by firewithinher
Summary: The setting is season 4-ish. As Regina and Emma come together in their search for happiness, they struggle to figure out what they are to each other. The chapters are super short, but, in my defense, this is my first fanfic. Any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Regina spent her entire day trying to occupy her time, but it just wasn't the same without Henry. She tried cooking, paperwork, cleaning, but she just couldn't focus like she needed to. She decided that she needed to relax the best way she knew how. Regina slipped off her skirt and panties and slid into her soft bedsheets.

As she began pleasuring herself, she closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind of all the clutter that's been going on in Storybrooke. She tried to let go of her seemingly never-ending search for this author. She thought about how happy she was when Emma told her she would help. Of course she wasn't alone when it was just Henry and her, but now she had someone who understood what it's like to search for a happy ending. It was hard for the queen to grasp the idea that someone could just randomly do that for her. But it wasn't really out of character, Emma was the "Savior." It's a part of her job description, really, practically an obligation at this point. Right? She'd do the same thing for anyone, Regina told herself. Regina snapped back into what she was doing. Breathing heavily, she began going harder at herself. She needed this, she needed some form of relief. Some form of pleasure that would…

Somewhat startled, Regina quickly slipped on her skirt and hurried to the door. She assumed it would be some mundane citizen trying to get some sort of task from her.

"Yes?" Regina's tone was pleasant, but annoyed.

"Mom!" Henry's mouth curled at the sight of her, but he tried his best to hide his excitement. He moved in for a hug.

"H-Henry…" Regina's voice was softer. She held her boy tightly, he was so big now, but he will always be her baby boy. She felt like she could breathe again. She looked up from Henry's shoulder to see the savior, her hands jammed into the tight pockets of her jeans. Emma gave a half-smile to the sight of their embrace.

"Is everything alright?" Regina began thinking of the reasons why they would be here, and none of them were positive.

"The kid wanted to see you, but I told him you might be busy…" Emma chimed in, her eyebrow arched in a mischievous manner. Regina replied with a cock of her head.

"No… not with anything that can't wait." Regina put her hand over Henry's head

"Come in"


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm sorry I don't have anything prepared. I just wasn't expecting company."

"It's fine. We shouldn't have assumed you would have food." Emma paced around the kitchen with a smirk on her face, which made Regina uneasy.

"Moms, stay here. I'll go to granny's and pick up some food. The two of you can discuss Operation Mongoose while I'm gone. You'll have to fill me in when I get back though!" Without even asking what they wanted, Henry dashed out the door.

"For someone who wanted to see me, he seems pretty quick to get out of here."

"Nah. I'm sure he's just hungry" Emma assured her.

"I'm sorry that we caught you at such an… unfortunate time. And before you could even finish…" Emma said, holding back her uncomfortable laughter.

The queen let in a gasp of air, "I… I can assure you… I…"

"I know that flushed face look anywhere. C'mon Gina I know you too well for this"

"I'm sorry, my dear. I don't think you know me that well." Regina could barely

"It's part of my superpower. It doesn't help that you're getting more flushed by the second." Emma winked.

Regina turned away, completely mortified. There was no reason to deny it any longer.

"Regina… it's fine. We're both adults here… We're friends… right?" Emma started to sound concerned. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it.

Regina, still stunned by the whole conversation, kept silent.

"I mean we've been so close lately we should be giving each other tips by now. I mean… I think it's pretty clear that it's a natural thing most people do. I consider myself pretty skilled at…"

"Okay stop." Regina's voice cracked, her body still turned away from the savior.

Emma sighed. She knew if she made the situation uncomfortable enough Regina would have to say something. Emma obediently held the pause and waited for the mayor to continue.

"You're right… is that what you want to hear? We are friends. We are close, but you can't expect me to just openly blurt out that I've been so stressed lately that I can't properly pleasure myself." Regina heard herself say it. She felt it slip from her gritted teeth, and she was angry. The queen turned to face the savior with regret in her eyes. Regina could feel the astonished look Emma was giving her. She wanted to hide almost as much as she wanted answers.

"Excuse me, I…" Regina headed towards the door, but Emma caught her with her hand gently caressing the queen's arm. The savior knew to be cautious when touching Regina.

"Regina, wait" The pair locked eyes. Regina began to wonder if she really wanted Emma to know. She knew she needed someone to talk to about all of this, but it would be too awkward discussing it with anyone really. She already said it. The damage was done, and Emma seemed to be pretty comfortable about it, why shouldn't she?"


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm baack" Henry's voice was cheerful, his arms full with the bag of food.  
"What did I miss?"

"Uhh…" Emma quickly turned her head to Regina.  
"We really didn't get around to any ideas with quality" Regina returned a look that perfectly said Nice job being subtle, dear  
When it came to Henry, Regina was best at handling diffusing situations he didn't need to be a part of.

Henry unknowingly shrugging off the odd encounter with his mothers, set the food down on the counter.  
"Alright…two grilled cheeses…" Henry began sorting out the food and handed each sandwich to his mothers.

"I'm…I'm sorry what is this?" The mayor wrinkled her nose to present an equally confused and disgusted expression.

"Oh c'mon mom! Don't pretend like you haven't considered trying it… just this once?" Henry let out a small whine and a look Regina knew all too well. The queen wasn't sure if she'd seen it more often from Henry or his mother.

Regina decided to pick her battles and this was one she was willing to lose. Is it really even a loss to see that smile on her son's face. She picked up the sandwich and took a cautious bite while watching Henry's delighted reaction.

As the evening went on, Henry began incessantly raving about one thing or another… Regina wasn't really paying attention. She couldn't pay attention, not with Emma sitting right across from her. The both fidgeted nervously, accidentally playing footsie with one another from time to time. Once one of them discovered it was indeed the other one's foot, they would immediately pull away in agonizing regret. Regina would excuse herself every once in a while for a refill on the wine and a couple of shots of tequila she kept hidden away for… emergencies. While Regina continued with her composure, Emma could tell she was fading fast.

"Hey kid, why don't you sleep here tonight? It's getting late and it would just make sense." Emma tried her best to use her best maternal tone she could muster up at such late hours.

Henry nodded and soon after scurried to his room, but not before kissing his mothers goodnight.


	4. Chapter 4

There was nothing Regina could do. There was no escaping whatever was about to happen between them. It was all so painful in such a suffocating way, she had to laugh. It was funny, really, if it had only happened to someone else. At this point, Regina felt as if it had happened to someone else, sober Regina. And how sorry amused she was for sober Regina. The more she played the scenario over and over, the harder she laughed.

"Regina…" Emma tried not to sound concerned.

At the sound of Emma's voice, Regina began to laugh harder. She began walking toward the kitchen once again for another shot.

"Regina!" Emma followed, making sure the mayor made it safely to her destination.

Just as Regina reached for the bottle, Emma snatched it back from her. Regina climbed up on her countertop, the savior running after her, afraid she would fall.

The pair locked eyes, Emma was getting annoyed with this little game, and she expressed that with a stern scowl. Regina leaned in close to the savior, so close Emma thought she was slowly falling forward. The mayor slid her hand behind the savior's back and exhaled deeply against the blonde hair, sending chills down Emma's spine.

"Well, if you're such an expert, Ms. Swan, why don't you just show me then?" Regina whispered, running her fingers down the savior's back with one hand and placed the blonde's hand underneath her skirt with the other. Emma felt nothing between her fingers and Regina's bare skin. The mayor began kissing Emma's neck, which made Emma breathe heavily. Regina let out a soft moan as she held tightly onto the savior.

"Oh god." Emma had to get Regina to bed, to somewhere safe. The queen stunk of tequila. Emma knew this wasn't Regina, this wasn't what she really wanted. Regina was just... frustrated. She couldn't carry her, that would make too much noise and wake Henry. Emma needed to concentrate. Hopefully she practiced enough to teleport the two of them to Regina's bedroom. Emma tried to ignore the queen as she attempted this magical task. Thankfully, the pair ended up in Regina's bed. Unfortunately, Regina clung to Emma for support, trapping her in the bed for the night.  
Emma shifted in an attempt to get comfortable, but unconscious Regina decided to take that a little too well. The mayor nestled her head between the savior's breasts. There was something about the way Regina held onto Emma that reminded her of a child. This side of Regina was one she must've never shown anyone, maybe not even herself. Emma brushed Regina's hair out of her face, it was softer than she imagined it would be…not that she… thought about it much or anything… Regina seemed so vulnerable it almost hurt. Emma couldn't help but kiss the forehead of the queen. The situation was so painfully awkward at first, but now, Emma seemed to be exactly where she was needed, no matter what Regina would think when she woke up.


	5. Chapter 5

Regina felt the light on her eyelids, shooting pain hitting her head like a bullet without mercy. The queen opened her eyes, trying to situate herself on what exactly occurred last night. Regina's blurred vision focused on the pair of eyes staring back at her. Startled, Regina flung to the floor.

"Regina!" Emma whispered. It all started coming back to the mayor, her outbursts, the tequila...oh the tequila. Regina was mortified. The concerned savior poked her head down at Regina. The poor woman was crouched against the bed, her face hidden.

"Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" Regina would not answer.

"Dear god, woman, look at me!" Emma ached at the sight of her like this.

The queen slowly turned her head towards the savior, giving her the angriest scowl she could present at the moment. Truthfully, Regina wanted nothing more than to cry, but the queen was not going to let Emma see her break down again. Emma saw the pain in Regina's eyes, the way she wanted nothing more than for this all to be a dream. Emma wondered if she should've tried harder to get out of the hold Regina had her in last night. The savior wanted to leave, she really did, but it felt right to stay with Regina at the moment. Emma now realized how terribly wrong she might have been.

"Get out" Regina's voice cracked

Emma winced at the pain in the queen's voice.

"Regina...it's okay...I..."

"Oh it's far beyond okay, Ms. Swan. Now, do not make me repeat myself." Regina rose from the floor in as graceful of a manner as possible.

"Mom..." The mothers could here the footsteps of their son getting closer.

With a wave of Regina's hand, the savior was gone and the queen had on fresh pajamas.

"Good morning Henry" Regina opened the door to her bedroom to see the boy standing there with his mouth open, ready to question his mother about the noises he'd been hearing.

"My nightmares are back." Regina had her response ready before he could mutter a word.

"I knew something was wrong last night." Henry hugged his mother in sympathy. He always respected Regina's privacy about the dreams that plagued her. His company always seemed to help.

"Why don't you go downstairs. I'll meet you there in a bit. I just want to take a quick shower before I start on breakfast." Regina watched as her little groggy prince headed down the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma found herself, once again, in front of the mayor's front lawn. The savior got scared the first few times and went home, but not this time. Emma ran over what she would say to Regina once more in her head. The savior planned on apologizing for staying that night, Regina just looked like she needed someone. Emma decided she wouldn't mention why she stayed… or maybe she would. She couldn't decide which would sound not as creepy. Either way, she'd have to accept the fact that Regina would forever consider her creepy. What sane human being would do such a thing? Now Regina would never open up to Emma… still the savior refused to give up on her.

Regina paced around her bedroom. It had been two days of dodging and detours from Emma. Regina even arranged a way for Henry to get to Emma's without contact. Regina would rather spend a cheerful day with one of the simpletons of town than face Emma for one second. The queen was sure the feeling was mutual, but didn't understand why it felt like she was doing all of the work of avoiding. Emma should have the decency to at least consider where Regina might be. Emma was at Granny's when Regina was usually there, and was around when Regina dropped off Henry at the bus stop. It was almost as if Emma wanted to see her. But Regina was sure it was merely coincidences from a simple savior that lacked common sense. Why would Emma want to even be in the same room with Regina after the way she came on to her? She was just… frustrated. Emma was in the vicinity and she was being so nice, but it was nothing. The one thing Regina couldn't understand was that Emma was there when she woke up. Regina knew nothing happened; the mayor had full memory of that night. But why would Emma sleep in her bed with her?

On her way back from the other side of the room, Regina noticed her curtains weren't closed. The mayor hoped no one was peeking in her window, sticking their nose where it didn't belong. Regina looked out of the window only to see Emma standing outside, lost in her thought as much as she was.

"It's not polite to awkwardly stand in front of people's houses, Ms. Swan. Although, I guess you might not have known that." Regina held her door open just enough for her to fit.

"Regina, we need to talk." The savior moved towards Regina as if they were playing chess and it was her move.

"I have nothing to say to you, Ms. Swan. Now please, do us both a favor and leave before you make this even worse. If you're expecting an apology, I'll send you a brief, but carefully worded email about my unprofessional behavior. Don't expect anything more. I don't need to explain myself to you." The mayor began stepping back from the door to close it.

"Wait! Regina, I want to apologize. I know you were drunk and we never have to speak of it again. But you were really drunk, I felt staying with you was the right thing to do." Emma was racing towards the door. She knew if Regina closed that door, their relationship would never be the same.

"Are you saying I can't handle my liquor? I hate to burst your egotistical bubble, savior, but no one needs saving from intoxication." Regina searched Emma's face for some understanding of what she was trying to say.

"You know how hard I work to make sure nothing bad happens to you? I worry about you constantly, Regina. I want to be of any help involving your happiness, even the temporary kind. "

"Well I didn't ask you to… I'm not some obligation that needs taking care of. Go take your charity work somewhere else." Regina looked out of the side of her eye, desperate to not look at Emma. Something about the way the savior cared about her made her actually believe it. What did she get out of this?

"That's not how it works. Regina, don't you know I want to take care of you? Don't you know I want you to be happy, not out of obligation, but because I care about you. No, you don't need fixing. You're perfect, but everyone needs help. Let me help you, Regina." Emma gently took Regina's hand and repeatedly brushed her thumb against the back of the queen's hand. Regina tugged Emma inside and shut the door behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma smirked "I mean, I wasn't sure you'd want to. I couldn't really tell that night."

"I didn't need to pretend to like it. And I have no problem with it… in moderation."

"So you do like it..." Emma gritted her teeth in satisfaction.

"It's not… terribly unhealthy, in moderation, of course. Would you mind giving me a hand?" Regina pointed to the fridge as she pulled out the pan and turned on the stove.

"No problem, madam mayor." Emma laid out the ingredients for Regina. "I assume you don't have any mayo."

"Excuse me? That repulsive white stuff?" Regina gave Emma that disapproving look Emma knew so well, with a hint of 'are you fucking crazy'.

"All you had to say was no" Emma shrugged and returned to her seat. Something told her Regina didn't want any more help.

"So..." Emma rested her cheek on her palm, scanned the room and worked her way up to Regina.

"If you have nothing to say, I'd prefer we just sit in silence. There's nothing wrong with that, you know." Regina's body was completely focused on preparing the food, except for her eyes, which glared up at the savior.

Emma pressed her hand against her own thigh and exhaled, "Well actually, Madam Mayor, I have plenty to talk about. It's you who seems to keep our conversations... censored."

The queen leaned towards the savior and cocked her head, "Since I can't read your mind, there is no possible way I could know what that means." Regina gave Emma a playfully condescending look, "Dear if your afraid to say something, don't blame it on me".

Emma gave Regina a mischievous grin "Oh really? Are you sure you want to do that, Gina?"

Regina chuckled "Trust me savior, take it from a former villian, your thoughts are child's play compared to mine. This is not a competition, and you wouldn't want to win anyway." Regina's eyes traveled down the savior, and back up to her eyes.

"You don't know that. Don't assume shit about me, your majesty." Emma leaned closer to the queen, pain struck in her eyes.

Regina was taken aback by Emma's response. She knew not to strike that nerve again. She wouldn't, because the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Emma. Regina realized there was a lot she had to learn about Emma. Regina realized how much she needed to learn about Emma.

"Moooom!" The pair heard the awkwardly deep voice towards the door.

"We're in here, Henry" Regina's voice cracked, her mind stuck on the look in Emma's eyes.

"We?" Henry poked his head into the kitchen. Once he saw Emma, he smiled and rested his head on hers.

"Hey, kid." Emma wrapped an arm around her son.

"Grilled cheese?" Henry looked excitedly at Regina, then came around to hug her.

"Are you hungry?"

"Oh yeah. If I would've known, I could've picked up some mayo" Henry smiled at Emma.

The family took their food to the couch.

"Why don't we do something after we eat? Maybe a game?" Henry looked at his mothers cautiously. He was extatic about how well they were getting along, a part of him feared that he could potentially do something to mess it up, but he wasn't sure what.

"Poker?" Emma suggested.

"We are not teaching our son how to gamble, Ms. Swan"

"Our son…" Emma smiled and took a breath, "Our son needs all the practice he can get. He gets those cute facial expressions from you, you know." Emma oh so slightly nudged herself against the queen.

Regina closed her eyes and reminisced in the compliment "Yes, well. He'll have to learn when he's old enough." Regina's voice was dry in order to not sound too flattered.

"It's probably for the best. I know both of you too well. It would be too easy" Emma raised her head in pride.

"How about some television?" Henry suggested

Henry squeezed himself between Emma and Regina. The pair wrapped an arm around their son, intertwining themselves. The savior brushed her hand against the queen's soft hair and slowly descended her hand as far as it could go, the curve in her back. Regina kept her hand on Emma's shoulder blades.

"I assume you wouldn't want me to tell your friends at school about our little cuddle session?"

"Don't ruin it, mom" Henry scrunched up his nose in order to mask his smile.

"Can Emma stay the night?" As Henry flipped through the channels, he leaned his head towards Regina.

"That's up to Emma. She's always welcome." Regina kept her eyes on the screen, only for a moment did she peek at the savior. Something about that question made Regina anxious. She couldn't tell if it was because of the last time Emma stayed the night, or the fact that Henry knew something Regina didn't about Emma.

"Oh... Uh..." Emma gave Henry a disgruntled look. There was no way of hiding the issues she was having with her parents a secret. Henry knew she needed a friend, but Emma didn't think Henry would be this forward. Emma wondered how much she really let the pain she felt show. She used to be so good at hiding it, but maybe no one cared about her like Henry.

"Thank you, Regina… I really appreciate that." Emma shifted her hand behind Regina.

"So are you staying the night?" Regina was grateful Henry said it so she didn't have to.

"Yeah" Emma was looking at Regina now. Regina glanced back at her and gave her a concerned smile.


	8. Chapter 8

Regina fumbled through her drawers, looking for some pajamas for Emma.

"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, we can just tell Henry that I stayed and"

"Don't be ridiculous, dear" Regina looked back at Emma, who was sitting on Regina's bed, her hands awkwardly placed on her lap.

"Now, are we going to talk about why you need to stay over?" Regina set the clothes on her bed next to Emma and sat on the other side of her.

"Are we going to talk about how you came on to me the other night?" Emma snapped.

"We all have our elephants in the room, Regina. If this is a problem, I can leave." Emma stood from the bed and crossed her arms.

"Alright, I'm officially getting concerned. You're never like this." Regina's face flushed at the mention of the other night.

"Maybe you don't know me as much as you'd like to think." Emma stepped towards the door.

"Maybe I don't know you well enough, but I want to, Emma. I'm trying. If you don't want to talk about it, fine, we can do whatever you want. Whatever you do, please don't leave." Regina handed her the pajamas, the look on her face showed she was clearly upset.

Emma felt the guilt wash over her, "I'm sorry. I've just been really stressed out. I probably just need to relax."

"Well you're welcome to take a bath, if that would help." Regina was already reaching for the towels.

"Oh... Uh, sure" Emma entered the bathroom and prepared her bath.

Regina paced back and forth a bit. She didn't want to walk in right when Emma was getting in. After what felt like forever, Regina went in.

"Hey. I just... wanted to see if you needed anything, dear." Regina set some extra towels on the counter, her eyes glued to Emma's face.

"Nope. Everything's perfect. Thank you so much." Emma was completely covered in bubbles.

Regina noticed one of Emma's legs hung over the outside of the tub.

"You can't possibly be comfortable like that."

"It feels perfect, Madam Mayor. It's nice to stretch your legs out a bit. You should try it."

Emma lifted herself up a bit, revealing the top of her breasts, glistening from the warm water. Her nipples would have been visible, if Regina looked hard enough.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then. I'll be in bed when you're done." Regina's breathing turned shallow as she left the steamy bathroom.

Emma closed her eyes and felt the warm water and soft suds against her skin. The whole room smelled like Regina.

As Regina slipped into her bed she felt... weird. She tried to fall asleep, but all she could think about was Emma. Wet, naked, glistening Emma. But, why would she be thinking about her? Regina wanted to know what was bothering Emma, but she was relaxed now, so, why was she so concerned about it right now?

Emma thought about Regina's reaction to seeing her in the bath. She knew Regina was a little uncomfortable, but, how uncomfortable was she? Emma thought she almost saw Regina check out her breasts, but maybe it was just her reaction to Emma's movement.

Regina slipped off her pajama bottoms.

Emma slid her hand down.

_I wonder if she's thinking about me right now... _

Regina's breathing got heavy.

Emma bit on a towel to muffle her moans.

_What makes it so exhilarating, so... hot is that she's right in the other room. She could come in at any time, maybe that's what I want. _


	9. Chapter 9

"Regina…Regina?" Emma nudged the queen's shoulder gently.

"Regina! I can't sleep… Are you awake?" Emma's whispers grew louder.

The mayor released a loud groan, her eyes slightly ajar.

"Well, now I am. What's wrong, Emma?" Maybe Emma couldn't sleep, but this was the best sleep Regina had since she could remember. Regina could feel Emma's warmth, their bodies were just close enough for them to know the other was there. Regina wasn't sure if it was the amazingly long overdue orgasm that put her to sleep or the company of the savior. Well… the company of someone.

"It's my parents, you know how they can be" Emma kept her eyes down, she knew the less eye contact she gave Regina, the less she could get out of her.

"Why, yes I do, dear." Regina shifted towards Emma.

"But I can't imagine living with them, especially if I was there long-lost daughter." Regina put a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"Even with the baby, they still have enough time to try and control what I do. It's like they're trying to make up for lost time or something. And I get that, but I've moved on. I mean, they'll always be my parents, but not like that." Emma rolled her face towards the pillow to hide herself.

"I guess it just reminds me of all of the foster homes I've been through. It feels like I've done this so many times before. This story never ends well, not for me. I feel like that broken kid all over again" Emma's voice started cracking.

Regina slid down so that her face was level with Emma's.

"I wish there was something I could do to make that feeling go away, dear." The mayor brushed the savior's hair out of her face, revealing Emma's tears.

Emma sniffled, wrapped an arm around Regina's wast, and pulled herself closer.

"You can't sleep with pants on either?" Emma lightly brushed her bare leg against Regina's.

Regina's eyes widened.

"Oh, yeah…" That orgasm must've really knocked her out because she completely forgot about the fact that she was naked from the waist down. Regina prayed Emma wouldn't somehow notice she didn't have on underwear either.


End file.
